Friday, December 12, 2014

Book Review: When Religion Becomes Evil: Five Warning Signs by Charles Kimball



When Religion Becomes Evil

Author: Charles Kimball
Publisher: HarperCollins
Date of Publication: October 13, 2009
Pages: 304 (Nook Edition)

    This author currently is the Presidential Professor and Director of Religious Studies at the University of Oklahoma in Norman, OK. Previous to this he was the Chair of the Department of Religion and the Divinity School at Wake Forest University in Winston-Salem, NC.  He is a graduate of Oklahoma State University and earned an M.Div. degree from The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary. He is an ordained Baptist minister and also received his Th.D. from Harvard University in comparative religion with specialization in Islamic studies.  The reader also learns from this book that Professor Kimball has served as Director of the Middle East Office of the National Council of Churches and has traveled extensively in the region in that capacity.  He has met personally with the Ayatollah Khomeni during the Iran Hostage Crisis and is regarded as an expert on Islam and conflict in the Middle East.  He has more than adequate credentials to write this book.

    This edition is a re-issue of the original book which was published shortly after the September 11, 2001 attacks.  Kimball has updated sections and included new examples of problematic religious practice.  This book is an excellent overview of religious fanaticism.  In the forward to this new edition the author addresses the current problem of widespread information which is without a coherent frame of reference for understanding and interpretation.  He attempts (and generally succeeds) in correcting that flaw and even better gives the reader "a gentle introduction to the critical study of comparative religion."  He also spends some time discussing "evangelical atheism" (Harris, Hitchens, Dawkins, etc...) and the thought that religion is the underlying problem to most of the world's ills.  These authors argue that religious world views are anachronistic and that religion itself is, therefore, irrelevant.  The author retorts that within religious traditions  "one finds the life-affirming faith that has sustained and provided meaning for millions over the centuries"  and therefore should not  be so summarily dismissed.  He also cites various authors including theologian Houston Smith and journalist Thomas Friedman. The author acknowledges that at the same time, there are corrupting influences that "lead toward evil and violence in the world."  The remainder of the book explores five major warning signs of human corruption of religion.  He notes that the inclination towards these corruptions is strong in the world's two major religions (Christianity and its 1.8 billion adherents as well as Islam with its 1.3 billion).  

     Kimball is very careful not to call any group evil.  His objective is to illustrate the warning signs that alert us to the potential for evil human behavior within the framework or justification of organized religion.   As he states: "The more effective we are at identifying dangerous patterns of corrupted religion the more likely people of good will can avert disaster inspired or justified by religion."  So what are these dangerous patterns we should look out for?

    The first is "Absolute Truth Claims":   "When zealous and devout adherents elevate the teachings and beliefs of their tradition to the level of absolute truth claims, they open a door to the possibility that their religion will become evil."    A contemporary example the author uses for this is when anti-abortionists support murder.  The author also notes that rigid truth claims, particularly in times of conflict, are the basis for demonizing and dehumanizing those who differ.    

     Secondly, we should be wary of the abuse of sacred texts.  Sacred texts, according to Kimball, are the most easily abused component of religion.  Further, "Manipulative exploitation of revered texts can lead to violent zealotry."  He notes that a highly selective reading and interpretation of the Qur'an is the foundation for the exceedingly powerful and destructive phenomenon of suicide bombings (including the 9/11 attacks). 

    The third red flag is the demand for blind obedience, often seen in religious cults and sects.  The author uses the example of the Aum Shinrikyo sect in Japan which was responsible for the sarin gas attacks in the Tokyo subway system in 1995.  Kimball notes that all religious traditions began as what we today would call a sect or a cult.  These sects and cults often follow a charismatic authority figure who demands blind obedience ("Exhibit A" being Jim Jones and The People's Temple which resulted in the 1978 mass suicide in Guyana). 

    The fourth signal is when religion tries to establish "the ideal time".  All religions, Kimball says, state that we are not living in an ideal time and that we should strive to identify what that is and how to attain it.

    Finally, religions can turn evil when they resort to an "end justifies any means" mentality.  This can come in response to defending a sacred space (The Crusades) or reinforcing group identity against "outsiders."  This can lead to racism, classism and sexism.  Protecting "The Institution" at all costs has led to such grievous events as The Inquisition and, more recently, the suppression of the sex abuse scandals in the Roman Catholic Church. 

    The author uses the rest of the book to explain and define the "Just War doctrine", especially as this might apply to the contemporary war on terror.  He also uses the end of the book to defend Islam as a religion of peace and explains the true meaning of jihad (striving or struggling in the way of God).  The concept of jihad has been corrupted by radical Islam in all of the ways Kimball has explained in the previous chapters in the book.    The author also takes one more opportunity to warn the reader that we must continuously pursue peace with justice and be wary when political leaders seek to justify policy on religious grounds.  He gives further advice on how religious people need a new paradigm both for the ways we function both within existing traditions and for our more contemporary multicultural and interfaith engagement.  He suggests that we think of God as a direction rather than an object, much as Stephen Covey has described God as a compass.  He also encourages us to embrace diversity as enriching rather than threatening and approach our fellow humans with the basics of faith, hope and love.  Kimball states: "As people of faith look toward the future in the Middle East and in their own communities, we would all do well to focus on the two-fold mandate to love God and to love our neighbor."

     This book is an excellent look at the frightening issue of evil in the world waged in the name of organized religion, told within the framework of the study of comparative religion.  The author does a great job of not singling out any particular religion for the spotlight.  Instead, he points out that all of the world's religions are human constructs and, as such, are equally susceptible to the corruptions he defines which lead to evil and horrific consequences. 

     When Religion Becomes Evil is an excellent introduction for individuals wanting a better understanding of radicalism within established religious traditions.  It also lends itself well to group study and discussion.

Friday, November 14, 2014

Book Review: The Diamond Lane by Karen Karbo



The Diamond Lane

Author: Karen Karbo
Publisher: Hawthorne Books and Literary Arts, Inc.
Date of Publication: September 23, 2014 (Re-issue, Original DOP 1993)
Pages: 377 (e-book edition)


    This is a re-issue of Karen Karbo's 1993 "New York Times" Notable Book in trade paperback and e-book editions.  Twenty years after its initial release, The Diamond Lane still succeeds as biting satire and an indictment of fame, celebrity culture and the shallowness of modern life.

     On the surface this is the story of two sisters, Mimi and Mouse Fitzhenry, products of the Los Angeles suburbs who took very divergent paths following high school.  L.A. is described by the author as "a world where the unexpected happened and the expected didn't."  Mimi chased the Hollywood dream, working as a secretary in a talent agency while trying to find acting jobs and taking classes in "How to Write a Blockbuster."  Mouse goes to film school and then abandons the traditional movie scene to make obscure documentaries in Nigeria.  They are reunited following sixteen years of separation after their mother suffers a freak accident (she is struck in the head by a falling ceiling fan at an "all you can eat" buffet).  

     The sisters' adolescent love/hate relationship picks right up where it left off sixteen years before.  This involves typical sibling rivalries, guilt trips, ex-husbands, boyfriends and competition for everything from Mom's attention to movie contracts.  The title refers to the high occupancy vehicle lanes on the California freeways where everyone is in a hurry to get somewhere.  This metaphor runs throughout the novel as each character is constantly in helter skelter motion, most often without a defined destination.  The last half of the book also involves a scathing indictment of the trappings surrounding modern weddings, including flowers flown in from Europe, gold engraved invitations, etc...

     My only criticism of the book is the way the author handled Mouse.  Midway through the story Mouse's character turns from a counter-culture artist unconcerned with fashion or modernity to a self-conscious, self-obsessed consumer.  This seemed like a fairly radical switch for a central character.  That criticism aside, this book succeeds as a very funny social satire that, despite being technologically dated (allusions to "box phones"), rings true today as much as it did when it was first released in 1993.  Enjoy The Diamond Lane.  It is a fun read. 

Saturday, November 1, 2014

Book Review: The Crime of Julian Wells by Thomas H. Cook



The Crime of Julian Wells

Author: Thomas H. Cook
Publisher: Grove/Atlantic, Inc.
Date of Publication: August 7, 2012
Pages: 288

    This novel by previous Edgar Award winning author Thomas H. Cook really has it all.  The author has created terrific, sympathetic characters, a clever serpentine plot and describes locales with atmosphere galore. The book has a surreal quality to it with an atmosphere of mystery that is hard to actually pin down.  The basic story is fairly mundane:  A writer of non-fiction novels about grotesque serial killers commits suicides and leaves cryptic clues as to why.  His sister and his best friend from college begin a quest to discover what drove him to his desperate act and what, if anything, either of them could have done to prevent it.

     Philip Anders is a Julian's slife-long friend and book critic.  He explores Julian's books for clues to his madness and constantly revisits a post-college trip that he and Julian took to Argentina.  During that trip they met a lovely young lady named Marisol, assigned by the American embassy to them as a guide. Marisol disappeared during their visit, a turn of events which disturbed Julian greatly.  One of the clues that Julian left behind was a map of Argentina onto which he had circled Marisol's hometown.  This leads Philip on a quest to ferret out the cause of Julian's despair. Philip and, eventually, Julian's sister Loretta travel to Paris, Slovakia, Budapest, Russia and finally Argentina.  The thread connecting the dots in this quest is Julian's work: his documentary writing about sadistic serial killers.  Cook goes into much detail of these true horrific and macabre killers' stories which lends an even more dreary tone to an already dreary story.

     The resolution of the story and Julian's true motive come as somewhat of a surprise and illuminate the sometimes strange twists and turns in Julian's life which Philip and Loretta discover during their travels.   The disappearance of Marisol and Julian's complicity in that disappearance are the keys to the whole plot which don't become apparent until the very end.   This is a very good book with all of the elements of a good mystery, but also with well drawn characters, expert description of locale and a steady tone of unease throughout the entire story.  I recommend it very highly.

Wednesday, October 15, 2014

Book Review: Lucky Us by Amy Bloom



Lucky Us

Author: Amy Bloom
Publisher: Random House
Date of Publication: July 29, 2014
Pages: 256


     This is a mixed up Rubik's cube of a book.  There are many constantly moving pieces which  fit together but somehow always fail to line up.  It is the literary equivalent of a Robert Altman movie: an ensemble cast in a wide sweeping arc of a story which never has an opportunity to pick up steam.  It is a story of abandonment and love, trust and betrayal, prejudice and hope.  Somehow, though, this mish-mash of a novel works.  It entertains and surprises.  It definitely keeps you guessing as to what in the world will happen next.

     The skeletal framework of the story revolves around two half-sisters and their individual bizarre attempts to cope with life in World War II America.   Strange characters emerge and re-emerge in sometimes startling circumstances.  These characters  include the girls' father, a Hollowood makeup artist, a gaggle of hairdressers and a deported German national. The reader quickly learns that turning the page to a new chapter leads to a totally unexpected turn of events. While keeping the story unpredictable, these twists and turns make for somewhat of a disjointed story.

     All in all, this was an enjoyable and entertaining read, one which explores character more than plot.  I would recommend it to readers who like authors who also write character driven novels such those written by Anne Tyler.   

Monday, October 6, 2014

Book Review: Land of Love and Drowning by Tiphanie Yanique



Land of Love and Drowning

Author: Tiphanie Yanique
Publisher: Penguin Group (USA)
Date of Publication: July 10, 2014
Pages: 368



     Land of Love and Drowning is unique in many ways.  First, the book is set in the Virgin Islands during the early twentieth century as island ownership is transferred from Denmark to the United States.  There is ambivalence about this transition among the islanders.   Secondly the complex story line is narrated by multiple characters, including one whole chapter told from the point of view of an unborn fetus.  Thirdly, the author, a native of St. Thomas, uses local dialects for some of the dialogue.  All of this adds up to an intriguing, interesting and entertaining read.

     The plot is complex.  The two main characters are sisters: Anette and Eeona Bradshaw.  They are also daughters of a sea captain who drowns in a storm, suddenly leaving the family destitute.  The two girls travel divergent but intersecting paths.  Their small and, at the time, isolated island lends itself to a complicated relationships.  In Land of Love and Drowning there are mistresses, incest and compromises.  None of the characters escape awkward entanglements.  These stories within the main story are juxtaposed with and illuminate the history of St. Thomas in the twentieth century.    

     The writing is descriptive and enticing.  Yanique's descriptions of the tropical locales make the reader want to book a flight to the Caribbean pronto:

"He thought of Anette and the ocean;  he thought of them as the same frightening, enticing thing.  Behind him was an army of coconut trees.  There was the thump every now and then of a coconut hitting the ground.  He didn't turn away from the waves for that noise.  He would only turn for the hushed movement of the sand.  For the swish of a leaf.  He wanted her to come up on him."

     This was a book I almost stopped at about fifty pages in because of revelations regarding the relationship of Captain Bradshaw with his eldest daughter.  However, as the story unfolded and the repercussions of misjudgments and misdeeds are revealed, the story became easier to read.  The writing is what kept me reading and it is well worth it.  This is an author with tremendous authenticity as well as ability to make the reader see and feel the locale,  I enjoyed this book very much, a lot more than I thought I would after the first few chapters.  

Sunday, September 28, 2014

Book Review: The Wordy Shipmates by Sarah Vowell



The Wordy Shipmates

Author: Sarah Vowell
Publisher: Penguin Group (USA), Incorporated
Date of Publication: October 7, 2008
Pages: 272 




     Sarah Vowell takes a very intriguing and often humorous look at the Puritans in The Wordy Shipmates.  She explores the social and political climate in England which prompted the Puritans to embark on a treacherous voyage aboard the Arbella to the New World to found a "city on the hill" in Massachusetts.  She does a very good job of relating this early colonial history to current events and politics.  The views espoused by John Winthrop, Roger Williams and Anne Hutchinson echo through the centuries and appear in modern speeches by Mario Cuomo, George W. Bush, John Kerry and others.  This is a fascinating look at colonial Massachusetts and sheds light on contemporary issues.

     The author illustrates her points with less well known historical vignettes.  For instance, the story of the mass murder of the Pequot Indians by colonists in a fit of self-righteous zealotry shows that using the banner of religion to further a cause and justify violence is nothing new and wasn't invented by radical Islam.  The story of Anne Hutchinson and the denial of her rights to use her God given abilities because of her gender is used as a  frustrating example of the Puritans narrow-mindedness.  

     The author ends the book by examining John Kennedy's Presidential campaign.  Kennedy's speeches liberally quote from John Winthrop's sermons, in particular his "city on the hill" metaphor and his notation that "the eyes of the world are upon us."  The vision of a 17th century Protestant colonist preacher inspiring and informing a 20th century Catholic politician campaigning for the highest elected office in the land is ironic at the least.  

     This is an excellent book, winding themes from the 1600s and showing how these same questions and thoughts prevail in today's world.  These stories are told with great doses of humor and the author has a tremendous eye for the sardonic and unexpected.  I recommend this book highly to anyone interested in religion, politics or early American history.

Tuesday, September 9, 2014

Ten Books That "Stuck"

Ten Books That Stuck

     There has been a recent Facebook thread in which people post the titles of ten books which "stuck with them" - resonated with them to the point that they think about these books weeks, months, even years later.  These books don't have to be great works of literature or part of any canon, just books that meant a lot to those who read them.  These posters then went on to challenge friends to do the same by "tagging" them in the post.  Alas, no one has tagged me in any of their posts, but I decided to post my own list anyway.  So, here, in no particular order, are ten books which have resonated with me, some for close to fifty years!

An American Tragedy by Theodore Dreiser 

    I read this as an adolescent.  I grew up in a very middle class home in a very middle class neighborhood in a very middle class suburb of Washington, D.C.  This book opened my eyes to the fact that there are other classes of folks out there and, try as we might, transcending class in America is close to impossible.



Gone With the Wind by Margaret Mitchell

     I have never lived anywhere but the Commonwealth of Virginia and have always considered myself a Southerner.  This book defined for me what that is.  I read this one as an adolescent as well and growing up in a basically segregated world racism and the horrors of slavery were lost on me then.



Siddartha by Herman Hesse

     I read this book every summer for a number of years.  The story of Siddartha trying to make sense out of his life experiences was and still is meaningful to me.  This helped me start to understand the "bigger picture" of the totality of experience and the impact of one person's actions on others.

Body and Soul by Frank Conroy

     This is quite possibly my favorite book of all time.  I was far from a piano prodigy as a child, but hours of piano practice made me identify with this book's main character.  Frank Conroy's writing is so crystalline and pitch-perfect that you wonder why anyone else even tries to write.  Now that I think about it, this book is going back on my to-reread list immediately.
  

The Devil's Alternative by Frederick Forsythe (close second The Man From St. Petersburg by Ken Follett)

     I love thrillers and mysteries.  As a teen I read a lot of Poe and each year I try to read a couple of these types of novels for pure entertainment.  I remember finishing The Devil's Alternative while moonlighting at a community hospital in Richmond.  I was in a call room all by myself when I finished the book at about 2 AM and was totally blown away by the twist of plot on the very last page which changed the whole story.  I'm a big Ken Follett fan as well.  He is a consummate storyteller and The Man from St. Petersburg is my favorite of his thrillers.






 Matterhorn by Karl Marlantes

     The Viet Nam War was very much a part of my growing up and the beginnngs of my political consciousness.   I was in the very last group of men subject to the draft lottery and was very fortunate that I received a high three digit number.  I have read many books about this war, all of which are excellent.  I could have substituted Tim O'Brien's The Things The Carried or, even better, In The Lake of the Woods, but Matterhorn, for me, came as close as any book can to making me almost understand the horror of that war.  After reading this book you want to embrace every Viet Nam war veteran.


The Phenomenon of Man by Pierre Teilhard de Chardin

     This book was part of Father Thomas King's freshman Theology class at Georgetown.   I was so intrigued with this author that I took Fr. King's upper level class on Teilhard as a senior elective.  Pierre Teilhard was a scientist (a paleontologist) and a Jesuit priest who spent his writing life trying to reconcile his theology with his scientific knowledge.  His books were banned by The Varican during his lifetime.  In The Phenomenon of Man Teilhard writes about evolution and how that scientific theory fits into theology (some would argue that it doesn't).  I greatly admire Teilhard's efforts and have adopted many of his concepts (including his vision of heaven) into my own personal theology.  Thank you Father King, who passed away just a few years ago.  If I were to pick a novel which has helped me the most to reconcile science with religion it would be Contact by Carl Sagan.



Pillars of the Earth by Ken Follett

     I love great stories and Ken Follett writes great stories.  This one I remember like I read it yesterday.  Follett has a passion for medieval cathedrals and that passion shines through in this brilliant saga of 12th Century England.  I still remember some of the vivid scenes which this author created even though I read this 25 years ago!   While the central story is the construction of a massive Gothic cathedral, Follett blends in multiple story lines of romance, royalty, violence and life in the Middle Ages.  The characters here are all wonderful and seem like family members by the end of this lengthy novel.


A Saint on Death Row by Thomas Cahill  

    I am firmly opposed to the Death Penalty for many reasons.  I have read many fiction and non-fiction books about Capital Punishment, written from both sides of the argument.  This book encapsulates all that is wrong with the death penalty.


The Right Stuff by Tom Wolfe

     I was told to read this while a surgical resident.  The man who told me to read it was and English major in college and practiced, of all things, Orthopedic Surgery.  This is Tom Wolfe's amazing telling of the story of the Mercury astronauts and the race to the moon.  The surgeon who told me to read this exclaimed "It's about astronauts but it's really about surgical residency!"  What it is about is what it takes to succeed at anything worth doing:  the right stuff.  



So, nobody asked for it, but there it is.  My list of ten books which have "stuck" with me years and years after reading them.  I could probably come up with another ten (and probably will) but that's enough for now.  I would welcome any comments about these particular books or your own personal ten meaningful books.  Thanks for reading! 

Monday, September 1, 2014

Book Review: Queenpin by Megan Abbott



Queenpin

Author: Megan Abbott
Publisher: Simon and Schuster
Date of Publication: June 5, 2007
Pages: 196

     This is a stellar crime novel by multi-faceted author Megan Abbott.  This is classic crime noir with a familiar "good girl gone bad" plot.  What sets this book apart is that the central characters are both women.  It is told in the first person by an unnamed young woman longing to escape her meager background.  She is recruited by Gloria Denton, a notorious mobster who acts as a mentor of all things corrupt.  The young woman's educations is moving right along as she transports cash, betting slips and information between race tracks, betting parlors and offices.  She makes a critical error by falling for Vic Riordan, a slick lady's man and perpetual loser.  Major complications ensue as Vic uses our femme fatale for his own nefarious purpose.  
  
  This book is written in a compact, no words wasted style which evokes the best of James M Cain and Mickey Spillnae.  There is graphic violence here as well as a constant undertone of sexual tension.  The writing itself is spectacular, conjuring the styles and fashions of the times.  An example from an early exchange between Gloria and her protege:
     
    "She looked at me in that icy way of hers.  Then in a flash of the hand, she tugged open her crepe de chine jacket, buttons poppping.  There, on her pale, filmy skin, skeined over with thready wrinkles, I saw the burn marks, long, jagged, slipping behind her bra clasp, slithering down her sternum."  

     This is writing strong enough to earn this author a Best Paperback Original Edgar Award in 2008.  Megan Abbott has also been nominated for the Steel Dagger, The L.A. Times Book Award and The Pushcart Prize.  The lady can write.  If you are a crime fiction fan, especially the classics, you will surely enjoy Queenpin.

Wednesday, August 27, 2014

Book Reviews: Jonoathon Tropper's The Book of Joe and Ron McLarty's The Memory of Running







The Book of Joe 

Author: Jonathan Tropper


The Memory of Running

Author: Ron McLarty


(Blogger Note:  These reviews were previously published in "The LAMLight," the physician newsletter published monthly by The Lynchburg Academy of Medicine.)

“An identity would seem to be arrived at by the way in which the person faces and uses his experience.” – James Baldwin

“It is always the same:  once you are liberated, you are forced to ask who you are.” – Jean Baudrillard

It is purely by happenstance that I read these two books back-to-back.  They both deal with basically the same theme of self-discovery and do so in the setting of similar life-changing circumstances.  The main characters and sub-plots are radically different, however, making these two very dissimilar novels dealing with similar themes.  Both authors have an entertaining style and infuse a good bit of humor into what could have been very maudlin stories.

The main character in Ron McLarty’s The Memory of Running is Smithson “Smithy” Ide, an obese, alcoholic, chain smoking, single Viet Nam war veteran.  He works as a quality control inspector in a toy factory in Rhode Island making sure that action figures are assembled correctly.  As the story begins both of Smithy’s parents are killed in a freak car accident.  While going through his parents’ mail after their funeral he discovers that his only sibling, a mentally ill older sister, has died and her body remains to be claimed in a morgue in Los Angeles.  After a drunken binge Smithy impulsively decides to ride his old red Raleigh bicycle to L.A. to claim his sister’s body.  The story is told by Smithy in the first person and the chapters alternate between his mis-adventurous cross-country bike ride and his turbulent adolescence dealing with his sister’s bizarre behavior.  The sub-plot of major significance involves Smithy’s childhood neighbor Norma, a girl four years his junior who had a persistent crush on him.  Smithy always rebuffed her, especially after an accident left her paraplegic.  Smithy stays in contact with Norma throughout his bike ride and his discussions with her reveal his own self-discovery.  During his trip Smithy is run over by a dying HIV patient, threatened at gunpoint by the son of a Viet Nam war buddy in a ghetto in East St. Louis and is swept into a cross-mountain bike race in California.  Each encounter teaches Smithy something valuable about himself.  The final chapter is exceptional.  Smithy finally accepts himself for who he is, understands the wonder of unconditional love and exorcises the demons guilt and self-recrimination which resulted from his dysfunctional adolescence.

Joe Goffman is the main character in Jonathan Tropper’s The Book of Joe.  Joe is the antithesis of Smithy Ide.  While Smithy is reminiscent of the classic comic character Ignatious Reilly from John Kennedy Toole’s A Confederacy of Dunces, Joe would seem more in the mold of Sherman McCoy, Tom Wolfe’s “Master of the Universe” from Bonfire of the Vanities.  Joe is in his early thirties and is a successful novelist living in a posh Manhattan apartment.  His first book was an autobiographical novel based on his own adolescence in the small town of Bush Falls, Connecticut.  Because of many revealing and embarrassing details regarding the residents of his hometown he has not returned for seventeen years and has remained estranged from his family.  Joe’s father suffers a severe stroke which prompts Joe to return to Bush Falls and confront all of the unresolved issues from his past.  This is another first person narrative, and Joe alternates between stories and anecdotes from his current visit home and the story of his senior year in high school which was the basis for his sensational novel.  The subplots involve Joe’s high school girlfriend and one true love Carly, and two male best friends.  The two best friends had a homosexual relationship as high school seniors, the reactions to and bitterness arising from which is the centerpiece of Joe’s novel.  Joe’s journey of self-discovery is more of an inward one compared to Smithy’s bike ride, but it is difficult and yet rewarding all the same.  The resolution of all of the subplots is not as satisfying as in The Memory of Running, but Joe does discover a lot about himself over the course of this book and there is hope for the future (and a probable sequel). 

Both of these books are well written: fast paced with excellent dialogue and imagery.  There is a generous dose of humor in both, The Book of Joe containing the more ribald kind.  I enjoyed them both immensely.

Monday, August 25, 2014

Book Review: The Gods of Guilt by Michael Connelly




The Gods of Guilt

Author: Michael Connelly
Publisher: Little, Brown and Company
Date of Publication:  December 2, 2013
Pages: 400 



     Michael Connelly has produced another intriguing legal thriller featuring Mickey Haller, "The Lincoln Lawyer".   This one reprises characters from the first book in the series (this is #5).  The strengths of all of Connelly's novels are in evidence here.  First the plot is intricate and complicated but not to the point of being improbable.  The characters are well drawn and there are plenty of conflicts to keep them in a stew.  The pace is fast and driven by crisp dialogue, especially when the story hits the courtroom.  You would think that his novels would become formulaic, but they don't.  

   In this story Haller defends a despicable but innocent man in a murder trial.  The defendant incriminated himself during the investigation and Haller has to circumvent that and establish an alternate theory for the murder.  His team of investigators (now including his driver, Earl) and a new partner stay one step ahead of the prosecutors and the police as evidence is developed pre-trial.  Haller uses courtroom maneuverings and theatrics to convince the jury ("The Gods of Guilt") of his version of the crime.

     One of the methods that Connelly uses to keep his series fresh is to introduce new characters.  This has happened several times in the long running Harry Bosch series (The Concrete Blonde, Trunk Music, The Black Box, etc...) and in The Gods of Guilt he introduces Jennifer Aronson, a young attorney Mickey hired to manage his foreclosure practice.  Jennifer wants to become more involved in criminal defense work and in this book she does.  It will be interesting to see where the author takes this new character in subsequent novels.  The core supporting characters are all here including Lorna, Mickey's ex-wife who answers his phones and arranges his schedule, Cisco Wojciechowski, Lorna's current husband and Mickey's new investigator and Earl, who drives Mickey's Lincoln Town Car.  Harry Bosch (who we learned several books ago is Mickey's half-brother) makes a cameo appearance as well.  There are humorous allusions to The Lincoln Lawyer movie and Mickey Haller copy cats in Los Angeles.  At one point Mickey leaves court in a hurry and hops in the wrong Town Car.

     The star of this and every book in "The Lincoln Lawyer" series continues to be Mickey Haller.  In this installment Mickey is a more sympathetic character.  He anguishes over his current estrangement from his sixteen year old daughter and has multiple pangs of conscience.  He still has his slick tactics and unorthodox approaches, but all of this seems more well intended this time around.
    
     This is an entertaining, fast-paced and well written novel.  As the Mickey Haller character evolves during this series the stories become better and better.  I can't wait for the next one.

Monday, August 18, 2014

Jimmy Buffett - Bristow, Virginia August 16, 2014



Jimmy Buffett
And the Coral Reefer Band

Bristow, Virginia
August 16, 2014


     You would think that after all of these years crooning about cheeseburgers and margaritas that Jimmy Buffett would be mailing it in by now.  Nothing could be further from the truth.  The man still delivers a high energy, top-notch performance.  His band was particularly sharp on this cool and breezy August night in Northern Virginia.  Jimmy was in fine voice as well.

     He opened the show with a rousing version of Jimmy Cochran's "Summertime Blues" and then immediately hit the high note with crowd favorite, Van Morrison's "Brown Eyed Girl".  This featured the band bouncing up and down in unison during the "La-la-la-la-la-la" parts.  If anyone in the crowd wasn't into it by then, there was something very wrong with them.

     The band segued through an entertaining set of old songs, new songs, country songs and even a virtuoso instrumental by Mac McAnally.  One of the highlights for me was the introduction of Brendan Mayer, son of long time Buffett guitarist Peter Mayer.  Brendan displayed his considerable guitar chops on several songs and was featured on his own composition "Something to Say".  Jimmy migrated to the rythym section to play tambourine on that one!

     My favorite tune was the Stephen Stills composition "Southern Cross".   We saw Jimmy
Buffett in Las Vegas several years ago and this was one of the encores.  Jimmy used it this time to get the crowd into a frenzy for the big finale: "A Pirate Looks at Forty" followed by "Fins" and, of course, "Margaritaville".  This show's encore including "It's Five O'Clock Somewhere" with "Let's Get Drunk" mixed in was well received and everyone left very happy.

     This show had a different vibe than the Vegas show we attended in 2011.  The crowds were both energetic, but the Virginia crowd seemed to have more families and younger adults.  Jimmy Buffett has managed to transcend generations and genres and attracts a very diverse crowd.  There was a fairly large contingent of the grey haired set, myself included.  The lady next to me was alternating sips of beer with puffs on an Albuterol inhaler.

     My wife made the comment that a Jimmy Buffett show is not really a concert - it's a giant party where Jimmy Buffett shows up.  You have to admire the man for finding his own unique style and sound, sticking with it, perfecting it and turning it into a franchise.  For a guy known more for party anthems though, his ballads and musicianship are quite remarkable.  His ability to work a crowd is unparalleled.  I enjoyed Jimmy's reminiscences of playing The Cellar Door in Georgetown in his early days, being the first show at this venue and also playing at the White House.  

     My days of driving three hours to and from a show, fighting crowded parking lots and standing (and jumping and dancing) for several hours may be winding down.  This is one performer that I would still go through all of that to see.  It was a lot of fun, which I think, for Jimmy Buffett, is the point!  Thank you, Jimmy Buffett and the Coral Reefer Band, for entertaining us for all of these years and keeping it fun.